The house is quite comfortable, with three bedrooms and two baths, a large kitchen and a living room/dining room that spans the width of the house with a large picture window at each end. One looks out on the bay so we can watch the tides come in and out and the boats do the same. The other faces the front yard and driveway and our three bird feeders. One for the hummingbirds to perch and drink red sugary water. One filled with thistle for the little finches -- lemony yellow with black touches (which we have learned is a lesser goldfinch) and red headed with taupe bodies (called a purple finch). And one for all the rest filled with grains and nuts. We watch the crows come in bunches now that they know where it is and try to knock over this last one to feast from the ground. To avoid that, we've taken to putting little bits of stuff out on the ground for them -- old oatmeal, cookie crumbs, leftover sweet peppers, and even hot dog bits -- and they fight to eat it all.
The house sits on an acre of so of lawn plus more acreage that is not navigable. So, today we felt like we were back home supervising some yard work. A man from down the street named John rode over on his mower (although Eva had hoped to do this, Gary's machine has a clutch and she cannot count on her knee yet to perform this function) to weed whack and mow, so we instructed him on what to whack and just let him mow. And then the sun came out and it all looks so clean and pristine -- not to mention the fact that we can now see the foundation of the house!! Like many waterside locations in this state, we are surrounded on three sides by wild blackberries -- and we just pray that they ripen in time for us to enjoy some before we have to leave!!! This is the side view of our bay from the back of the house.
We feel like we know our way around well enough that yesterday we took a new way home from Astoria (Oregon which is about 45 minute drive in our Cadillac and where we go for groceries and Heath bar blizzards at the nearby Dairy Queen). It winds around another bay, the lower Willapa (pronounced wil la pa with the accent on the last syllable) which is called Shoalwater Bay in which sits Long Island which has no apparent bridges or access except one canoe pull-up so we are picturing it without anyone living on it (and with some further research, we were right, no one lives or has access to it unless they provide their own boat. This is something conceivably we might try to do since there is a stand of cedar trees there whose diameters exceed 6 feet. Would be an amazing sight). At low tide, one could walk across the mucky tidal flats and get there in about 30 steps at one point. Quite breathtakingly beatuful.
We also stopped at a small park on the Columbia River called Dismal Nitch (the photo above is the view from Dismal Nitch across the river that divides Oregon 
and Washington and the one to the left is of the sign at the rest stop) because when Lewis and Clark came down the Columbia in hopes of finding the Pacific in 1804, they thought they were close to the ocean but were held up here for 5-6 days by horrible weather before reaching their goal which was less than 10 miles away. This is right by the large bridge that spans the river which we use to get to Astoria. This bridge is of normal height over the water and then soars up so that the large container ships can get underneath it on the Oregon side without the need for a draw bridge of any kind. Needless to say, this has ruined many a homeowner's view in Astoria. However, this access to the ocean is supposed to be so tricky beacuse of tides that it takes quite a wily tug boat captain to get these large boats out into the open sea.
We went to the Long Beach peninsula to take a photo from that side looking back across at Bay Center and to investigate the long sandy beaches (purportedly the longest beach in the world, but we have trouble believing that as we are sure Dubai would have built something to counteract this claim.). This area is very much a summer spot and is likely where we will go to see fireworks. We also stopped to see the Lewis and Clark interpretive center and learn more about their amazing expedition -- 18 months on the way out and only 6 to get back east at the request of Thomas Jefferson.
and Washington and the one to the left is of the sign at the rest stop) because when Lewis and Clark came down the Columbia in hopes of finding the Pacific in 1804, they thought they were close to the ocean but were held up here for 5-6 days by horrible weather before reaching their goal which was less than 10 miles away. This is right by the large bridge that spans the river which we use to get to Astoria. This bridge is of normal height over the water and then soars up so that the large container ships can get underneath it on the Oregon side without the need for a draw bridge of any kind. Needless to say, this has ruined many a homeowner's view in Astoria. However, this access to the ocean is supposed to be so tricky beacuse of tides that it takes quite a wily tug boat captain to get these large boats out into the open sea.
